Elizabeth Gardener Bouguereau, Ludwig Von Beethoven, 5th Symphony, Amy Carmichael - Wonderland

I've put much of the wonderful classical pieces we've been enjoying on this blog onto the playlist at the very bottom of this blog.  Feel free to scroll down and use it as a pop-out player to continue listening to this music throughout the day.  

We've looked at William Adolphe Bouguereau now I'd like to feature paintings by his second wife, Elisabeth.  I think her paintings are very similar to her husbands and I like them a lot!  As with his work hers is realistic.  This painting makes me want to know what they were so quietly watching. The following is a brief biographical paragraph from the Art Renewal Center Museum.  You can visit that site at the link following the paragraph.  

ELIZABETH GARDENER BOUGUEREAU was an American from New Hampshire who studied with William Bouguereau, later to become his second wife after the death of his first wife Nellie a few years prior. Her art historical influence is very significant, as she undoubtedly played a role in persuading her husband to use his influence as President of the Academy, Head of the Salon, and President of the Legion d'Honneur, to convince the Academie Julien (and a few years later the École des Beaux Arts) to open their doors to women for the first time in history.

http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artist.php?artistid=372

The next composer I would like to feature is Ludwig Van Beethoven. 

 

The following link has a biographical sketch of his life and you can also listen to a lot of his works there.  http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

The first piece I would like to feature is from Beethoven's 5th Symphony.  You can listen and watch it performed on the following you-tube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6K_IuBsRM4

Our poem this week by Amy Carmichael is 


                 Wonderland
Lord, Thy little children stand
   At the opeing of the day
Bordering on Wonderland.


Very near to us it lies,
   Gathers round us as we play,
Waiting for our seeing eyes.


Wonderland is everywhere;
   Can we go where it is not?
When we go, we find Thee there.


And Thou art so very kind;
   Thou hast never once forgot
To put things for us to find.


Oh, a thousand voices call,
   "Come and find what has been hidden;
All the world's a Wonder-ball."


Father, may we take Thy hand?
   We will do as we are bidden.
Come with us to Wonderland.

Elizabeth Gardener Bouguereau, Ludwig Von Beethoven, 5th Symphony, Amy Carmichael - Wonderland

We've looked at William Adolphe Bouguereau now I'd like to feature paintings by his second wife, Elisabeth.  I think her paintings are very similar to her husbands and I like them a lot!  As with his work hers is realistic.  This painting makes me want to know what they were so quietly watching. The following is a brief biographical paragraph from the Art Renewal Center Museum.  You can visit that site at the link following the paragraph.  

ELIZABETH GARDENER BOUGUEREAU was an American from New Hampshire who studied with William Bouguereau, later to become his second wife after the death of his first wife Nellie a few years prior. Her art historical influence is very significant, as she undoubtedly played a role in persuading her husband to use his influence as President of the Academy, Head of the Salon, and President of the Legion d'Honneur, to convince the Academie Julien (and a few years later the École des Beaux Arts) to open their doors to women for the first time in history.

http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artist.php?artistid=372

The next composer I would like to feature is Ludwig Van Beethoven. 

 

The following link has a biographical sketch of his life and you can also listen to a lot of his works there.  http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

The first piece I would like to feature is from Beethoven's 5th Symphony.  You can listen and watch it performed on the following you-tube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6K_IuBsRM4

Our poem this week by Amy Carmichael is 


                 Wonderland
Lord, Thy little children stand
   At the opeing of the day
Bordering on Wonderland.


Very near to us it lies,
   Gathers round us as we play,
Waiting for our seeing eyes.


Wonderland is everywhere;
   Can we go where it is not?
When we go, we find Thee there.


And Thou art so very kind;
   Thou hast never once forgot
To put things for us to find.


Oh, a thousand voices call,
   "Come and find what has been hidden;
All the world's a Wonder-ball."


Father, may we take Thy hand?
   We will do as we are bidden.
Come with us to Wonderland.

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Girl with a Bird, Johann Sebastian Bach - Double Violin Concerto in D minor 2nd movement - Largo, and Amy Carmichael - Hast Thou No Scar?

There are wonderful details in this painting by William Adolphe Bouguereau.  It might be fun to take turns with your children noting different details and see how long you can keep going.  


There is such a delight in the things God has made in nature for us to enjoy.  When we get up close and make a connection as the girl is with the bird it is even more special.  

Johann Sebastian Bach's - Double Violin Concerto in D minor 2nd movement - Largo  is our final piece of Bach's music for now unless one of you has a favorite piece we haven't featured yet.  If someone has a suggestion we will feature it next week, otherwise we'll move on to a new composer. You can listen to today's piece on the following link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo0K_n3VLG4

One of my heroes is Amy Carmichael who was a missionary to India and started the Dohnavur Fellowship where she raised many young girls that she rescued from temple prostitution.  The story of her life, A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot is a wonderful biography.   There are also other biographies of her life written for younger children.  I highly recommend that you share her story with your family.  Also any of her devotional writings are worth reading and savoring.  The following is Wikipedia's entry on Amy:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Carmichael.   Amy wrote poems for young people that we will feature in coming weeks but I especially like this well-known poem of hers about the suffering that we experience as we follow Christ.

HAST THOU NO SCAR?


Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land;
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star.
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers; spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned.
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And piercèd are the feet that follow Me.
But thine are whole; can he have followed far
Who hast no wound or scar?

William Bouguereau - Girl with Bird, Bach - Double Violin Concerto in D, Amy Carmichael - Hast Thou No Scar?

This is our final painting for now by William Bouguereau.  I like the delight in the little girl's eyes as she enjoys her pet bird.  Bouguereau was very skilled at making people look real and catching their expressions.  Again, I would welcome any comments you have this week or next on this post.

Today we'll feature our final piece by Johann Sebastian Bach for this season - Double Violin Concerto in D minor 2nd movement - Largo you can listen on the following link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo0K_n3VLG4

One of my heroes is Amy Carmichael who was a missionary to India and started the Dohnavur Fellowship where she raised many young girls that she rescued from temple prostitution.  The story of her life, A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot is a wonderful biography.   There are also other biographies of her life written for younger children.  I highly recommend that you share her story with your family.  Also any of her devotional writings are worth reading and savoring.  The following is Wikipedia's entry on Amy:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Carmichael.   Amy wrote poems for young people that we will feature in coming weeks but I especially like this well-known poem of hers about the suffering that we experience as we follow Christ.

HAST THOU NO SCAR?


Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land;
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star.
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers; spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned.
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And piercèd are the feet that follow Me.
But thine are whole; can he have followed far
Who hast no wound or scar?